Antagonists
by Jukava
Summary: Rumpled sheets, a one night stand with no memories whatsoever, and an old wound that never seems to heal... Hermione's life is really not the easiest one...
1. Chapter 1

1 - After the storm

Hermione woke up with a start and cursed inwardly. Merlin! She promised herself it was the last time she drank like that; Holyhead Harpies victory or not!

She had never had a great tolerance to alcohol and the pain in her temples seemed to have made a point of reminding her of that fact.

She slowly opened one eye, only to close it immediately as the morning light blinded her. What an idiot she was to have not pulled the curtains last night before leaving for the match!

Hermione turned as slowly as she could to the edge of the bed and, noticing with pleasure that nausea didn't overwhelm her, reached for the bedside table to grab her wand. The curtains had to be closed before she could think of anything else.

But instead of coming into contact with the familiar wood of her night table, her hand only met emptiness. She sighed.

Had she knocked her bedside over when she went to bed? She tried to remember, but the pain pulsating inside her skull immediately dissuaded her.

Resigned to endure the consequences of her night of booze indulging- well at least until she found her wand - Hermione carefully opened her eyes.

The first thing that struck her was the colour of the walls.

Green. Not pale yellow like in her bedroom.

She suddenly felt very awake, her face clenched at the painful sensation of the light burning her retinas.

But somehow, this room was familiar to her… Suddenly, she knew and felt relieved: she was in a room at the Leaky Cauldron. She thought fondly that Tom must have laid her there so she would not risk apparating while she was drunk.

As stabbing at her temples showed no signs of recess, Hermione sat up very slowly. But suddenly, she froze, the friction of the sheets on her skin was too sharp, too much ... She looked down at her chest and couldn't hold a gasp of surprise: she was completely starkers!

She closed her eyes immediately and hid her face in her hands. Merlin! What had she done?

Breathing deeply to gather her courage, she turned to the opposite side of the bed and with great difficulty restrained a cry of stupor as she discovered a man lying on his belly, his face under his pillow, hiding from the light.

Mortified, Hermione immediately turned away and, ignoring the pain and nausea induced by her movements, she bolted out of bed, naked as the day of her birth.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, she picked up her belongings which were scattered on the ground, irrefutable witnesses of what must have happened the night before. She sighed with relief when, taking hold of her skirt, her wand fell from the folds of the fabric. Seizing it immediately, Hermione, without looking back, disaparated to the comfort and safety of her room.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Many thanks for your reviews, follows and fav, it means the world to me.

This chapter has been beta'ed by my friend Louise 3.

Prompt # 5 The next day

Hermione couldn't utter a single word. She was stunned. It was so out of her character to act like that.

She rushed to her bathroom to erase all evidence of what happened the night before. She opened the tap of her shower and waited a few seconds for the water to be at the desired temperature before going under the spray. She raised her face to the shower head and greeted the hot jet with happiness.

She didn't want to think thoroughly about what had happened yet. Not with her mind fogged up by the alcohol vapours and her cramped body, still marked by what had undoubtedly taken place the night before.

She remained in her shower for what seemed an eternity, the hot water running down her body as she lazily carded her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to unknot it. Sighing with ease as she gradually felt the tension leave her body, she grabbed the shampoo, poured a portion into the palm of her hand, and applied it to her hair.

She gently rubbed, savouring the sensuality of the moment, when suddenly, like lightning breaking the stillness of a summer sky, a flashing memory assailed her mind: hands, large and powerful encircling her waist, going up, barely grazing the underside of her breasts with his thumbs and then caressing her neck while a mouth was against hers, kissing her roughly.

Surprised, Hermione suddenly opened her eyes and almost slipped on the tiled floor. It was the firsts memories of the previous night that had come back to her and she would have almost blushed as the sensations were so vivid.

Jerking herself out of her stupor, Hermione quickly finished her washing and got out of the shower stall. She wrapped herself into a warm and fluffy towel.

Still shrouded in the damp heat of her shower, Hermione let herself fall on her bed. She closed her eyes, hoping to conjure new memories, but nothing but a blur came to her. Her memories seemed buried beneath layers of lead.

Sighing in frustration, Hermione decided that it was best to analyse things calmly.

What she knew was limited to a few things: she had celebrated last night the victory of Ginny's Quidditch team, she remembered having a few drinks and finally, she woke up after spending the night with a stranger.

There was no doubt that they had sex given the used condoms that Hermione had seen when picking up her belongings and the hickeys covering her body.

She thought she could almost recognize her ... partner from his teeth. Indeed, the bruise that was blooming on her clavicle had a very distinct shape and she wondered if there was a spell to hide that kind of thing.

Hermione didn't know how to react. Sleeping with a stranger wasn't something she would have done if she had been sober, but after all, if she had done once her inhibitions were down, she had nothing to be ashamed of. It was an impulse, a desire, nothing more, nothing less.

What really bothered her was that absence of memories. This void outside that single little flashback she had in the shower.

She wondered how everything happened. Had she accosted a stranger? Had she thrown herself at someone she already knew? Or worse, had she had sex with a friend?

She didn't know and that was what bothered her the most. Not knowing was something that was unfamiliar to her and was paradoxically both exhilarating and really unpleasant.

The only thing that relieved Hermione was that, at least, on the man's back there was no freckles. To sleep with a Weasley or worse, with Ron again, would have shattered their barely relinked friendship and would have been a disaster.

Try as she might, Hermione had no idea who she had spent the night with. For obvious physical reasons, she had eliminated the Weasley men, Lee and Dean. But there were so many people at the party, she could have ended up with Neville or Seamus who had been drinking with her, as well as with a complete stranger ...

And Hermione was too embarrassed by her intoxicated behaviour to dare to ask one of her friends about who she may have flirted with.

_No_, she thought, _the best thing was to leave that night in its rightful place: in oblivion_.

Neither consequences nor memories. Like that night never happened.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N : Okay, so, I'm really sorry : I totally messed up! I've uploaded chap 1 & 2 together and when I posted chap 2 someone (thank you!) PM me to signal my mistakes. I'm so clumsy with ffnet, it's a shame!

So, here is chapter 3 as a show og good faith…

It's unbetaed, so please be kind because English is not my mother tongue. I'm looking for a beta with loads of patience and mean editing skills of course, if you're interested, PM me ;)

# 4 Battleground

Her mind steeled by her decision to leave behind _that_ night without memories nor remorse, Hermione returned the next day to work as if nothing had happened. After all, spending the night with a stranger wasn't something earth stopping worthy... or even worthy enough to stop the work from piling on her desk.

She had too many cases and therefore no time to spare into sterile reflections on the identity of the man she had slept with two days before. In the coming week alone, she was scheduled for no less than three hearings in front of the Wizengamot, an interview with the Ministry for Magic about the evolution of her career, and an appointment with the Chief of the Hit Wizards.

As Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Justice, she was extremely busy and led very complex cases that affected and interlaced the works of many Departments. She knew, because her Director had made not so subtle allusions, that Kingsley would certainly propose her to take the direction of the Department.

Indeed, Luke Carlton, her direct superior, was more than likely to be elected as the next Minister for Magic. After ten years of service, Kingsley had decided to retire and let the new generation breathe a new life into the Ministry, which he had contributed so much to reform. Considering his abilities and ambitions, Luke Carlton was the perfect candidate.

Although younger than her, Luke was somehow Hermione's mentor. He was sharp, brilliant, incredibly hardworking and full of ideas to improve the wizarding society that was still struggling to adapt to post-war reforms.

Naturally avoiding convolutions, Luke went to get Hermione directly from the Department of Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures were she was working back then. He had made it clear to her that now that she had passed the Werewolves reforms that were dear to her heart, she had to put her intelligence and knowledge at the service of Justice.

Hermione, certain that the work she had already accomplished would continue without her and especially with the desire to face new challenges, had accepted without hesitation and had become Luke's Assistant.

Unfortunately, the only thing she had not taken in account when making her choice was her relationship, certain that Ron would support her, whatever what her decision might be.

Of course, he was incredibly proud of her and very excited about her becoming Deputy Director of the Department of Magical Justice. But their couple, already worn out by the day-to-day life and its pettiness, ended up giving in under the weight of the overtime that made Hermione disappear for weeks and persistent rumours that she and Luke were _so much more_ than colleagues.

They had separated without ill feelings toward each other, but with the bitterness of failure. It had taken them a long time to find a new balance where everyone around them didn't feel like walking on eggshells when they were in each other presence.

Devoting herself to her work to forget anything that could disturb her, Hermione spent the morning locked up in her office, desperately trying to put a semblance of order into the stacks of papers strewn haphazardly her workspace. She had an end-of-day hearing with the Wizengamot about the use of Unforgivables by Aurors and Hit Wizards, and there was no way she wouldn't be prepared for this. To authorize the use of the Unforgivables was a legacy of the time when Scrimgeour was Minister and if, during this time of uncertainty and war it could be understood, ten years later, it was necessary to regulate and circumscribe it again.

Absorbed in her work, Hermione startled when Harry knocked on her door around 1 pm to take her to lunch as they had agreed a few days earlier. Even though she felt a little guilty of stealing time from her work, Hermione knew only too well how much a friendly pause would do her good and especially would allow her to get back to her tasks with clearer ideas.

As always when she was with her friend, the meal went off peacefully, talking about everything, but always carefully avoiding professional topics. Soon after starting their respective jobs at the Ministry, Harry, Hermione and Ron had reached an agreement whereby their private and professional lives were separated by impenetrable walls. In the Ministry, they agreed to speak exclusively of work and ever be professional, but outside, they have prohibited themselves to mention their respective work. It worked beautifully to avoid many tensions. Especially since Hermione now worked in the Department of Magical Justice, like Harry and Ron.

Before their desserts were brought, Harry suddenly seemed tense, like he had something to say but wasn't able to formulate it.

\- "What's up, Harry? Hermione asked, a little worried by her friend's unusual behaviour.

Harry didn't answer immediately, obviously searching for his words. Then, after having exhaled loudly as if he was about to jump from a cliff, he said:

\- "I'm going to propose to Ginny. "

Hermione released a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. For a moment, when Harry had stared at her, she had thought, between hope and fear, that he was going to talk to her about last Friday night, maybe even about the man she had spent the night with, and she was so relieved that the subject was totally different.

Suddenly realizing what her friend had confided to her, Hermione's eyes widened in surprise and she got up immediately to hug him

\- Finally! What took you so long? I wondered what was holding you back! "

\- "It's been a long time coming, but I didn't want to rush things and then ... And then you broke up with Ron, and it seemed-"

\- "What about Ron and I's break up?" Hermione repeated, clearly not understanding what he was talking about.

\- "I ... I don't want to make you feel guilty about it Hermione, but when you broke up, I don't know ... It made me doubt about my relationship with Ginny, I took a step back, I-"

\- "But why didn't you tell me about it?" She wondered, feeling slightly guilty.

"You had your own problems ..." Harry shrugged. "And it's all in the past now ... I think that in a way, I should thank you... This period of doubt allowed me to see more clearly. And now, I'm sure my future is with Ginny. "

Hermione, overjoyed for her friends, just grinned and hugged Harry again, happy to see him turn a new leaf along with Ginny.

Lost in her thoughts after her conversation with Harry, Hermione went back to the Ministry. Mechanically, she went to her office, but as she approached, she ran into someone. Unbalanced, she stumbled and was falling when two hands appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her arms, steadying her.

Words both of excuses for her distraction and thanks for keeping her from falling on the tip of her tongue, Hermione looked up at the person she had collided with. But as soon as she saw his face, the words died in her throat. Marcus Flint. The bane of her existence.

Not that the ex-Slytherin was unpleasant to her, it was the very opposite. But Hermione hated everything he represented. Son of a Death Eater who had bought their post-war immunity with the content of their vaults, Marcus Flint regularly came to the Ministry to visit Luke, certainly trying to influence him or extract informations.

And since the rumours were high about Luke's appointment as favourite candidate for Minister for Magic, Flint's visits had become more and more frequent and he often took advantage of those to make what he pompously called a "courtesy" visit to Hermione. He was placing his pawns on the political chessboard before she was even promoted and he thought he was subtle. She hated him, as she hated all those purebloods who tried to perpetuate the old ways and privileges.

\- "Flint." She concisely said at once as a salute and thanks, while freeing her arms from his hands who hadn't yet let go of her.

\- "Granger." He replied in the same tone, an eyebrow raised in a mute question. When he saw that she didn't seem to want to say another word to him and was just waiting for him to walk away to join her office, he added: "You can thank my Chaser reflexes, Granger, otherwise I think you would have fallen rather heavily. "

Hermione didn't hold back an annoyed sigh at his remark and thanked him reluctantly before asking him curtly but politely, to budge over because she had work to do.

With an amused smile, he shifted, barely leaving enough room for her to pass between him and the wall, and as she slid past him, he whispered:

\- "Your office looks like a real battlefield ... I think it's in your habit to scatter your belongings and leave a mess behind you. "

Hermione froze and turned immediately toward him. What was he talking about?

But the Slytherin just gave her a lazy smirk and slipped away without another word.


End file.
